BillsonChang007
Headphoneus Supremus
I always had this “thing” that tells me to stay away from bluetooth headphones especially the sub $100. Not that they suck but they just don’t sound as good as the price it is selling at compared to many other headphones at its price. Whenever someone ask me for bluetooth headphones, I would usually recommend them to best avoid them as not only is the sound quality are compromised but also paying extra for cordless is unnecessary if you intend to sit stationary all day. The futuristic Parrot Zik did impress me but I still find it slightly overpriced for the sound quality unless you find the features very cool and useful to your daily life application. Otherwise, the fancy, lightweight and luxury B&O H8 is also quite impressive if you are a fan of bass in your music (no, seriously, I didn’t expect B&O would ever offer that level of bass given that I own a very linear in bass B&O H6). Then again, I would rather go for DJ Khaled edition of B&O H6 over B&O H8 anytime.
A huge thanks to Archeer for offering to mail me the AH07 to write this review, as I really enjoy this headphone so far. I do have to apologise thought for the slow progress because of my packed schedule.
When I agreed to review this headphone, I had low hope until 2 weeks later the unit arrived and when I see the packaging, I started to get serious about it and another one and a half journey back from my dorm to my home, I got really excited to test it out.
The build quality is impressively sturdy and don’t look like its gonna fall apart anytime soon. The pads are removable and it is a very useful feature if you intend to use it for the long term. Even so, the pads are very well built, smooth and soft but just a ted too thin. The hinges for its foldable feature is very smooth to use and “clicks” when its in place. The earcups are rotatable and swivels back and forth. The build are mostly made of plastic and some metal pieces for the very nicely polished design but the logo part are plastic. The padding at the top are soft and thick. Overall, a pretty well built headphone and on par with the Sennheiser HD439’s build quality and like the Sennheiser, the removable cable that came with the AH07 feels a bit cheap and the USB charging cable as well but then again, its a sub $100 headphone; I would rather it to focus more on the sound quality rather than the accessories so long that they are useable and does not break like Apple Earpods’ [cough cough, the thin cable].
The headphone itself can be used both wirelessly or wired when it runs out of battery. All the pots and buttons are on the right side of the cup. There’s 3 simple button; on/off, volume up and down which can be used for many other purposes just like every other in line remote control. Between the USB port and the 3.5mm port of the headphone sits a microphone that have decent quality for calls and everything else except that it is ted softer than the iPhone’s mic but other than that, it works perfectly. My only concern is that, the buttons are kind of “clicky”; theres a “click” sound whenever you press on it and especially annoying when wearing the headphone and pressing it. Also, I find that not being able to use the volume up and down when not in wireless mode is kind of stupid. Why make that kind of restriction?!
I honestly like the fact that the cups are rotatable and swivels back and forth. I find it really nice and helps adjust the headphone to the most comfortable setting possible not to mention that, the mechanic movements are all smooths. The headphone feels very lightweight on my head and does not clamp the head too tight. However, the pads are rather thin and on the smaller side. It’s like Sennheiser Momentum [first version] all over agian except that the AH07 just nicely covers my ears. At least it is not stiff like the Shure’s SRH440 but a thicker and larger pads would have been perfect.
While it does covers my ears but because of the thin pads, my ears are touching the driver and because of the tight room for ears to breathe, it is very useful for keeping your ears warm in the winter. The sound isolation is decently good, better than many on-ear headphones like the Sennheiser HD239, Noontec Zoro HD but not as good as headphones like the HM5 but don’t get me wrong, the AH-07 isolates well. A 6.5/10 good.
Everything else aside, I think that having a wireless headphone is becoming more and more essential as phones are getting thinner and thinner, some smartphone manufacturers decided to take away the one thing that audiophiles cares a lot about, 3.5mm port and the iPhone 7 is rumoured to be the next smartphone to do that. So yea, time for wireless headphone!(nay) Not that I am gonna get the iPhone 7 nor Motorola Z Force, but I am just purely glad that the AH07 is simple to connect and does not require me to install some complicated apps or programs to gain access to some of its features and its wireless. Everything under one roof.
That said, the AH07 is just a few buttons to connect via wireless and the battery is as good as the spec said. The headphone is relatively easy to “drive” and does not need anything extra. Just plug, and play. All of these, combined with its flashy design, makes it very ideal for portable and on the go use. The battery could last you one full day of listening on the go wirelessly or otherwise, if you are not a heavy listener or only occasionally using the wireless connection, it could actually last me a good full week and I can choose to charge it or use wired connections. I am also impressed that, you can check an estimated battery status of the headphone when connected to the phone wirelessly. What makes it even cooler is, you don’t need any app to do that.
The distance of the bluetooth is also very promising and I could move around my bedroom with the phone placed in a corner and it still sings perfectly however thought, if there is a wall or objects in between the connection, the wireless cuts shorts which is entirely normal like every other wireless headphone that existed.
Like every other wireless headphones out there, it always [all the time], sound better wired. There’s no doubt for that. The AH07 features “apt X” which helps with the wireless’s sound quality, but compared to wired connections, wired still sounds better by a good 30% if I were to give it a percentage or otherwise, everything just sound much cleaner, bass are better* controlled and vocals sound less* shouty.
The AH07 is very forgiving and have a very strong cinematic sound signature. The bass are strong and goes deep down to the sub-bass. There are times where I prefer the wireless’s bass and when I prefer the wired bass. Wirelessly, the bass are stronger and sub-bass really exhale nicely however, it lacks control in comparison to wired. With wires, the bass are not as strong, depending on the source but are otherwise, better controlled although it still bleeds so slightly to the midrange and overshadows the highs. At its price, the HD439 was once my favourite headphone because of its warm and one of the better controlled bass out of many other headphones under $100 but the more I listen to the AH07, the more I like the AH07 better. The bass on the AH07 makes it very fun and addictive to listen. Definitely not for audiophiles who prefers neutral bass, but I would recommend it for casual listening.
Many headphones at this price find it difficult to create a good balance in the lower mids but the AH07 did it just right. It is just right at the spot to bring live to the music without overexerting. However, I do find that the AH07 at times, sounds a bit hard on female vocals and upper mids instruments. It sounded a bit stiff. Its not entirely smooth and male vocals with deeper voices sometimes falls behind a little bit by the upper midrange trebles. Nevertheless, the midrange combined with the lows, makes the overall to sound more cinematic.
The highs are just normal in sound. Not too bright nor too blunt. It is just there when you need it although it does lacks details to add in the music. The highs does not add any excitement to the music and since it is designed for youngsters with better hearing, so I am glad that it is not anything bright like the Beyerdynamic or Grado. Despite its low volume of high outputs, it sounds a ted too solid for certain high pitch instruments. I personally would have preferred something more fluid. However, it does sound brighter than the dark HD439. Other than details, the AH07 also lacks soundstages which results in the sounds feeling as if its from a very close source but the instrumental separation is just enough to avoid anything to sound too constrained. It does however, have good dynamic. The imaging is also not all that great for gaming and movies unless you accept things coming purely from left, right or center. For musics, I like the AH07 over the Sennheiser HD439 no doubt. However, for gaming and movies, I would go for the HD439.
To conclude, I like the AH07 as a headphone. I really do. The packaging is great, makes it good for gifts to anyone. The wireless feature makes it an awesome addition for traveling, and with smartphones removing the 3.5mm port feature, headphones like the AH07 is very much needed. It is durable and is an eye candy. The sound quality is great and I can’t possibly ask for more at less than $100 to $150 for wireless headphone. I think that for music, it best the Sennheiser HD439, Shure SRH440, Noontec Zoro HD, and easily THE best wireless headphone for the price in my opinion. It truly deserves some attentions.
Summary:
Build Quality : 7/10
Comfort : 5/10
Sound Quality : 8.5/10
Price : 9/10
Gear used: iPhone 6S, iFi Micro iDSD, Garage1217 Project Sunrise III
Photos shot on my iPhone 6S
Either way, hope to read your opinion on it!
